By GREGORY ZELLER //
A forward-looking Long Island campus is zooming in on the future of high-resolution microscopy.
The New York Institute of Technology welcomed a gathering of community leaders and elected officials to its Old Westbury grounds Sept. 15 for a groundbreaking ceremony that officially kicked off construction of the university’s new Biomedical Research, Innovation and Imaging Center.
The state-of-the-art BRIIC – 20,000 square feet of administrative offices and collaborative laboratories stocked with next-generation microscopes, advanced MRI suites and other cutting-edge imaging tech – is scheduled for completion in 2025.
More than simply transforming the campus’ former “500 Building” into a modern imaging mecca – a ginormous advantage for a region filled with biotechnology researchers (and biotech investments) – the BRIIC is a major component of New York Tech’s master strategy to qualify as a Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Learning Research 2 University by 2028.
Imaging-conscious: (From left) Town of Oyster Bay Supervisor Joseph Saladino, New York State Assemblywoman Gina Sillitti (D-16), New York Tech President Hank Foley and New York State Senator Kevin Thomas (D-6th Dist.) kick off construction.
Before that, the imaging center will “fill a need for high-resolution microscopy in the Long Island region,” according to New York Institute of Technology President Hank Foley, who trumpeted new opportunities to “invite researchers from other institutions to utilize our advanced visualization technologies.”
“At the same time, while the BRIIC will centralize our research instruments, it will also propel New York Tech’s research into the future,” Foley added.
Among the high-resolution tools coming to the new imaging center is a multicolor 3-D Stimulated Emission Depletion microscope, offering 10 times the resolution of standard confocal microscopes and ideal for studying cell structure. The STED scope was secured through a $1 million New York State Regional Economic Development Council award.
Also on tap: a 2,000-square-foot functional magnetic resonance imaging suite earmarked for studies of human brain activities – opening the door for new innovations in Parkinson’s disease, autism spectrum disorder and other brain-related conditions.
Jerry Balentine: Synchronize your research.
In addition to all that whiz-bang imaging equipment, the BRIIC is slated to include a 2,880-square-foot open laboratory with 48 lab benches, convenient flex space and all the trimmings: fume hoods, tissue-culture rooms, a steam-sterilizing autoclave and more.
With researchers at neighboring Stony Brook University and regional cornerstones including Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory and Northwell Health’s Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research – not to mention New York Tech’s own College of Osteopathic Medicine – already knee-deep in these and other healthcare studies, collaboration will be key at the BRIIC, according to New York Tech Provost and Executive Vice President Jerry Balentine.
“Today’s complex, real-world issues cannot be solved by one scientific discipline alone,” Balentine said. “As New York Tech continues to expand its research activities, the BRIIC will provide an interdisciplinary environment in which researchers across various scientific fields … and colleges will sync their technical expertise and creativity to address some of the most vexing biomedical questions.”
